Project Description: Our team’s mission was to create a fun and cost-effective fundraising campaign to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Our goal was to raise as much money as possible and to help achieve that goal, we created three primary revenue drivers: 1) we hosted a mini-golf event, 2) we sold raffle tickets for a pair of Cubs tickets, and 3) we established an online donation site through GoFundMe.

Description of Charity Organization: The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a national organization whose mission is to support all activities associated with finding a cure for the genetic disorder. Such activities include coordinating/overseeing fundraising events, creating symptom/life management plans for people living with CF, host educational/awareness events, lead political advocacy efforts, etc. Since its inception in 1955, the Foundation has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to help fund drug research and development and has created a national network of care centers to help extend the life expectancy of people living with CF.

Analysis of Results/Success Measures: Given that we elected to pursue a monetary fundraising campaign, our goal was to raise as much money as possible over a 4-week period. In order to help meet this objective, we strove to keep overhead costs as low as possible. The nature of our revenue drivers were extremely low cost and we were able to secure a pair of donated Cubs tickets for our raffle. An overview of our revenue goals/results follows:

All in all, we raised $6,460 of net proceeds against a goal of $1,000 and successfully achieved all of our success measures established at the beginning of the project.

Lessons learned:

Great teams make all the difference – every team member approached the project with enthusiasm and excitement during the course of the campaign, making it really fun to work together! Each member brought unique skills and great ideas to the table, which was crucial in creating such a successful project.

A well thought out risk management plan is critical – Weather was a major concern for us heading into the day of our mini-golf event. Fortunately, we had thought through the risks on the front end and created contingency plans.

Advice for future teams:

Find a cause that you are passionate about and create a project that fits in with your team’s personality.

Define team member roles early and establish/adhere to an agreed upon communication plan.

Don’t micromanage! Trust your team members to accomplish their assigned tasks, but make sure that the team is providing regular updates so that everyone is on the same page.